garlic

Etymology

From earlier garlick, garlicke, from Middle English garlek, garlik, from Old English gārlēac (“garlic”, literally “spear-leek”), from gār ("spear"; in reference to its sharp, tapering leaves) + lēac (“leek”). Cognate with Scots garlic (“garlic”), Faroese geirleykur (“garlic”), Icelandic geirlaukur (“garlic”).

noun

1. A plant, Allium sativum, related to the onion, having a pungent bulb much used in cooking.
   Athletes' use of herbal supplements has skyrocketed in the past two decades. At the top of the list of popular herbs are echinacea and ginseng, whereas garlic, St. John's wort, soybean, ephedra and others are also surging in popularity or have been historically prevalent. 2013-03, David S. Senchina, “Athletics and Herbal Supplements”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, archived from the original on 2013-05-16, page 134
2. (uncountable) A preparation from Allium sativum used as a food ingredient or the flavor or other characteristics of such an ingredient.

verb

1. To flavour with garlic